While all eyes have been on the feet of the England football camp, it's no longer Wayne Rooney's podiatric problem which is engrossing the nation it's Posh's.

Strutting around in six-inch heels has taken its toll on Victoria Beckham's feet and she is now the unfortunate owner of a bunion.

The offending protrusion was "papped" and spread across the tabloids for all to smirk at as Victoria revealed she had a pair of feet even the hairytoed Hobbit, Frodo, from Lord Of The Rings would be ashamed of.

But let's not be cruel because Victoria is not alone.

Bunions are very common, especially among women.

In America, the unsightly lumps are so widespread, they even have a TVshow dedicated to them called Life After Bunions.

Victoria has apparently confided in friends that she's afraid she'll be crippled by the time she's 40 and is considering a bunionectomy a surgical procedure where the bump is shaved off.

But if you catch a bunion early, things needn't be so drastic.

A bunion is a bony swelling on the side of the big toe.

It happens when the joint becomes thickened and swollen and it can be very painful.

Although most people are blaming Posh's bunion on expensive, but questionable, footwear, that is not always the cause, says podiatrist Bev Durrant.

"Some people are predisposed to them," explains the senior lecturer at the University of Brighton.

"There are people who have never worn high heels but still have bunions. But they can be caused by footwear.

"Anything which increases the forces on the foot could cause problems. The obvious offender would be a high-heeled, narrowtoe shoe. But again, not everybody who wears them ends up with a bunion."

So for poor old Posh it could just be a case of bad genes in the foot department, although a lifetime in Jimmy Choos certainly won't have helped.

Most of us have no idea our feet take four or five times our body weight with every step we take and we each take about 18,000 steps every day.

But the blight of the bunion, maybe unsurprisingly, is more common in women than men.

Caught quickly enough, padding, strapping and even braces to realign the joint, coupled with a pair of sensible shoes, can help to stop a bunion growing to gargantuan proportions.

And orthotics a shoe insert which helps support the foot in the correct position can also help.

As for the cure, only surgery can correct the deformity once it starts.

There are, apparently, 130 different operations you can do on a bunion but, in general, it is shaved off and the toe joint realigned after it is cut in two.

This can leave the patient in plaster and out of action for up to two months.

Some people, like Posh, decide to become a martyr to their feet and learn to live with their unsightly bump.

This isn't the first time her feet have made the headlines.

Rumours of the Beckham bunion first raised their ugly head three years ago when "friends" told tabloids she was considering going for the chop.

So let Victoria be a lesson to all those women out there squishing their feet into stupid shoes the bunion will come back to haunt you.

For those who decide to live with their bump, prepare to live with the pain, too.

So how to avoid bunions?

Well, the answer isn't particularly glamorous.

Wear comfortable, well-fitting shoes.

Avoid high-heeled, pointed and tight shoes and instead opt for flat versions which have enough room for you to move your toes about.

Faced with that option, let's bet Mrs Beckham has got her orthopaedic surgeon on quickdial.